It was a little too hot to hang out at Toroweap during the day so we drove off to look for some rock art. I told you the road was terrible. Jake guided me over the giant boulders of slick rock to get out of the campground. You Need a high clearance vehicle and I was in 4×4.
The Nampaweap trail is well named, a Paiute word meaning “foot canyon”, and proved to be an easy walk on an old two-track road.
This is one of the largest known rock art sites in northern Arizona and is located in the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. The Archaic people left these behind about 1000 years ago.
The site is .5 mile (.8 km) long and contains thousands of petroglyphs on hundreds of basalt boulders.
Archaeologists don’t know what most of these designs mean. Use your imagination.
Locals call it Billy Goat Canyon because of the large numbers of mountain sheep in the rock at.
This looks like corn to me. What do you see?
These tiny hands measure about two inches square.
But what the heck is this?
This canyon may have been an important travel corridor from the Grand Canyon to the ponderosa pine country around Mt Trumbull. The site can be accessed off the Mt Trumbull road 3 miles east of the Mt Trumull trailhead sign and visitor register or 3.5 miles west of the Toroweap road. If you visit this ancient rock art site, or any other, please use respect and help protect the site.
To tour more of the world go to Our World Tuesday.
Wow Gaelyn, those roads remind me of the Kenyan Highlands! The art is indeed strange. Who are/were the artists? Thanks for your lovely comment on my post today. My parents (especially my dad) were quiet, unassuming people who feared and obeyed God above all but were also sticklers for doing the right thing by their fellow man and of course, authority. I didn’t want go into this on my post in case I made him sound self-righteous which was not one of my dad’s traits at all. Travel safe my friend. (((Hugs))) Jo
Sorry I forgot to add who and when. Archeologists call them the Archaic people from at least 1000 years ago. (Added that to the post, thank you.)
I’m sure your Dad was awesome. Look how you turned out.
That rock formation is stunning and the art work I love. It is so different to the Bushman paintings and the rock art in Africa. If only I had a Dr Who Tardis and I could zap back there to find out what was on their minds while making these drawings:-) Have a good week Diane
I too would like to go back. Archeologists call them the Archaic people from at least 1000 years ago.
I’ll be on the road today, heading for Flagstaff, the first leg of my journey home.
I find rock paining very mysterious and fascinating and its really sad how some people damage it.
Wish I could sit there for a couple of hours and decipher…just not the same online. I always wonder though, wryly, if people just didn’t sit there and say, ‘Hey, let’s just doodle and people years from now will think it really means something…’
Wow that’s some road. I think I’ll have to get another toad if I want to go there.
I love petroglyphs and pictograms. Those are just stunning. I’m SO glad there has been no defacement or crude modern immitations.
What a wonderful place to visit.
We’ll take my big truck.
Fascinating and what a terrific post for the day, Gaelyn! Love your captures, the ancient art work is terrific! Thanks for sharing this!! I’d love to visit there!! Have a great week, stay safe on the roads!1
Thanks Sylvia. Made it to Flagstaff.
What a great sight for petroglyphs! I think the last is a roadrunner.
I can almost see that.
Okay….that is really neat…love the petroglyphs but working with teenagers for a long time has tainted my humor. I have an idea what that last shot is but it might be too saucy for this blog:) As far as the rest of it goes, I believe they were telling us about an alien attack. Hope that people respect this site. Such beautiful things and a wonderful recording of a people now lost.
An alien attack? Well, maybe. It’s all a matter of individual imagination.
Amazing petroglyphs! It must leave you with a lot of images to think about when you are trying to go to sleep and can’t… 🙂
The formation of the basalt boulders is fascinating!
Does give one something to think about.
Nice captures!
Petroglyphs are amazing that they have survived for so long. Such a mystery about what they mean.
What a great place! Thanks for sharing. Those little hand prints prove my theory that moms sent they kids out to peck on the rocks to get them out of their hair…
I love that idea.
Late comment…
Have you been to Snake Gulch? Its off Fr 22 on the right just past the turn up to Jacob Lake, as you coming from Fredonia. After a boring few miles at first there are world class pictograph panels every 1000 ft or so. Snake Gulch is acurately named, I like to hike it in fall or early spring, before the snakes are out it force. It was likely also a “highway” for Native Americans getting on and off the Kaibab. My favorite pictograph was that of a person on a rope, I thought hmmm, are they saying to us this is where we climbed? Probably.
Yes, I went to Snake Gulch this spring but only got to the first panel as it was just too hot. Maybe this fall I’ll try again because I’ve heard there are many panels.